Tahoe Basin Caldor Hazard Tree Fuels Reduction Project begins, project area will be temporarily closed

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Mechanical hazard tree removal will begin this week in the Caldor Fire Area off Pioneer Trail near South Lake Tahoe, and on Echo Summit this fall. The purpose of the Tahoe Basin Caldor Hazard Tree Fuels Reduction Project is to reduce excess vegetation (fuels) associated with remaining hazard trees and to stabilize and revegetate priority areas disturbed by fire suppression and initial hazard tree removal activities.

The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has issued a temporary closure order in the project area for public safety. The temporary closure will only be in effect during active fuels reduction operations which will likely take place Mondays through Saturdays from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., conditions and weather permitting. Once operations are suspended for the winter season, the area will be reopened to the public.

The project area includes approximately 862 acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands burned during the Caldor Fire. Project activities will also include planting native trees in areas where hazard trees are removed.

This project aligns with the 10-year strategy to confront the wildfire crisis in National Forests where wildfires pose the most immediate threat. The strategy, Confronting the Wildfire Crisis: A Strategy for Protecting Communities and Improving Resilience in America’s Forests, combines historic investment with years of planning and research to dramatically increase the scale of forest health treatments over the next decade.

Hazard tree removal will occur in areas up to 200 feet from NFS roads, trails, developed recreation sites, and private property within the Caldor Fire perimeter, and will be accomplished using mechanical harvesting equipment on slopes less than 50 percent.

Cut material will be removed for biomass utilization, chipped or masticated on site, hand cut and piled for burning later, and/or used in some areas to stabilize the soil. Native seedlings will be planted in areas where fire-damaged tree stands are not likely to produce future trees and where needed to promote species diversity.

Resource protection measures and best management practices will be used to protect natural and cultural resources and infrastructure and to minimize disruptions to forest visitors during operations.

Project work is dependent on weather and soil conditions that allow for equipment operation and tree planting and may take several years to complete.

View the project documents here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/ltbmu/?project=61587.

The Caldor Fire burned approximately 9,985 acres within the Lake Tahoe Basin. Many fire-killed trees were removed during fire suppression efforts and preliminary emergency rehabilitation treatments were accomplished to stabilize soils in areas impacted by dozer line construction.